Is Frank Gore a Top-10 All Time 49er?

Originally posted by GNielsen:
I've been a fan for over 50 years so I'm a big fan of Roger Craig and a lot of the older guys. But how can the guy who is the all-time franchise leader in rushing NOT be top 10? Come on.

And, I don't think Craig is in the running for the Hall because of his rushing. I think it's because he was the first back who was extremely productive rushing and receiving at the same time. Wasn't he the first 1000/1000 player? I may be wrong, but I think he was.

Originally posted by Chrs0049:
May seem a little far fetched at first, but when you put together a list I think he makes it...

I've been following the Niners since the late 70s and I think Gore is earning his way onto that list. He has been pretty durable, still has burst, had fantastic field vision and a knack for using his blockers, and he's competitive. Also, you can't ignore his numbers, which have to be as strong as any back in Niner history. In short, he's a beast and I think the best overall Niner RB in my time as a fan, though they do have Hall of Fame RBs from earlier era, McElheney and Johnson.

Originally posted by OX49er253:
Here's my thought, I would say that yes he is a top 10, 49er of all time. Not just for who he is off the field, his work ethic and his attitude. He has had to deal with a ton of adversity in his career. He came out of college with major knee injury concerns. He was on god awful teams for the majority of his career, he was on teams bereft of talent, bereft of quality coaching, and bereft of any sort of passing attack. He was consistently facing 8-9 men in the box, he was on teams that were getting blown out, and had to throw the ball late a lot. He still put up unbelievable stats. Not to mention to keep yourself hungry, to continue to care when week after week your team is losing, and not only that getting embarrassed. To maintain your focus mentally and emotionally while getting beat up physically, is impressive.

Combine in the era he is playing in. He is playing in an era of the spread offense, of the running backs by committee, where the average shelf life of players at his position is 3 years. He has managed to be a work horse back in a league with few work horses, he has managed to bounce back from injuries, to play later in his career and stay relevant, where few top tier running backs have. He has never had off the field issues, he has never publicly acted like a diva, his attitude, and work ethic can never be questioned.

I think if you take a look at the big picture, take into account the situation he played in for most of his career, the era he played in, the type of person he is, and just the hard stats he has put up. I would say its easy to put him into a top 10, 49er of all time.

Very well said. IMO Frank is a top 10 all time 49er. That's how I felt before reading this thread. Your comments re-enforces my opinion. Thanks......

Hopefully when its all said and done Frank will take his place in HOF. As good as Frank is, Roger Craig is long over due in the HOF!!!!

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